Like the Mixed Martial Arts ring, the production world is an international arena.
Press Release from Dashing
Like the Mixed Martial Arts ring, the production world is an international arena. For the EA Sports MMA spot Global Ring, creative visual effects studio Dashing Collective was part of a team befitting the Rio de Janeiro-shot commercial's international scope.
Directed by HSI Productions' Jason Smith for San Francisco agency Heat, the :60 live-action spot gives gamers a gritty, front-row view for sanctioned and back-alley mixed martial arts fights in exotic locales. Dashing, founded this year by award-winning VFX supervisor Rob Moggach, has already worked with several west coast agencies and some of ad land's top directors but no job tested the nascent shop's mettle quite like this one. With an international team working in multiple global locations, the logistics from the onset were paramount.
"The scope of the job evolved throughout the project which created some unique challenges," noted Dashing EP Danielle Lyons. "But, since we're a malleable studio we were able to exceed even our own expectations."
With only a week to complete intensive, photo-realistic CG, Moggach and his team worked around the clock to seamlessly fill out and frame wide shots of the crowd, arena and ring in the spot's second half. The project's CG needs included a chain-link fence, arena and thousands of cheering digital crowd.
"Dashing's model is about giving a streamlined team of expert craftsmen the best tools available," commented Moggach. "The idea that a compact well-equipped team of real experts can accomplish as much or more than a larger less-equipped one was put to the test and proven viable."
Anchored by Founder and Creative Director Robert Moggach, Executive Producer Danielle Lyons and a select team of top digital artists and technicians, Dashing is tailor made for handling projects with demanding creative or technical challenges and adapting to service emerging complex, cross-platform creative needs.
The Creds:Client: EA Sports MMASpots Title: Global RingAir Date: November 2010
Agency: Heat SFCD: Steve StoneAD: Woody KurupintsiriCopywriter: James DuffyEP: Brian CoatesBroadcast Producer: Chris Weldon
Production House: HSI ProductionsDirector: Jason SmithDP: Marcelo DurstEP: Maddi CarltonProducer: Paul Ure
Editorial: Final Cut LAEditor: Richard LearoydEP: Saima AwanProducer: Jennifer Miller
Telecine: The Mill NYColorist: Fergus McCallProducer: Claudia Guevara
VFX: Dashing CollectiveVFX Supervisor: Rob MoggachEP: Danielle LyonsCG Supervisor: Doug LawProducer: Debbie Cooke
Music/ Sound Design/Mix: 740 Sound Design, SFDesigner(s): Eddie Kim, Rommel MolinaMixer: Eric RyanEP: Scott Ganary
Shoot Location: Rio De Janiero, Brazil
About Dashing:Dashing is a group of digital craftsmen, creative problem solvers, and technical innovators. The Toronto-based creative collective specializes in format-independent delivery of high-end, commercially motivated, moving, still and interactive imagery. The studio will focus on visual effects and also harbor capabilities that allow for unconventional cross-platform projects.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
